Does a familiarization step influence results from a TCATA task?

Sara King/ January 23, 2017/ Peer-reviewed Paper/ 0 comments

Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA) is a multi-attribute temporal approach that extends CATA questions. It is based on continuous selection of the sensory attributes that are perceived as applicable for describing a focal sample during consumption. Compared to CATA, TCATA is a relatively intense and demanding task for consumers who have to focus their attention on the evolution of the sensory characteristics of samples during consumption. The present work evaluated a short familiarization step (7–10 min) where participants became acquainted with the list of sensory terms and applied these to a practice sample using a CATA task and also completed a TCATA task using a warm-up sample. All participants, including those who did not take part in the familiarization step, watched a demonstration video that explained how to use the TCATA software and to complete the task. Three consumer studies, each involving ∼100 participants, were conducted using dried apricots, peanuts, and milk chocolate. The TCATA curves when data were collected with and without the familiarization step were not systematically different. However, a small increase in sample discrimination was established and on this basis familiarization should be considered when using TCATA with consumers. A need to explore other familiarization protocols than the one used here exist in order to develop guidelines for implementation.

Jaeger, S. R., Beresford, M. K., Hunter, D. C., Alcaire, F., Castura, J. C., & Ares, G. (2017). Does a familiarization step influence results from a TCATA task? Food Quality and Preference, 55, 91-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2016.09.001

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